Creativity & Growth Mindset

By the end, the learner can

• Instrumentation innovation: applies unconventional combinations of available specialized equipment such as fluorescence-activated cell sorters and phosphorimagers to generate novel analytical data
• Innovative study design: develops non-standard experimental designs that address research questions more efficiently or with greater rigor than conventional approaches
• Adaptive problem reframing: redefines a stalled scientific problem from a different disciplinary perspective to generate previously unconsidered solution pathways

Session plan

1. 10 minHow these are scoredWhere this shows up: laboratories and research organizations, working with managers, researchers, technical staff. Conditions to expect: evidence-driven, precision-focused, methodical. Entry roles this maps to: Histology Technicians, Medical and Clinical Laboratory Technicians.
   • develops non-standard experimental designs that address research questions more efficiently or with greater rigor than conventional approaches
   From Natural Sciences Managers (11-9121.00)
2. 10 minSituationsWork the task on your own first. Support is available, but ask for it out loud so the group hears what got you stuck.
   • Tools in play: Data base user interface and query software, Spreadsheet software, Office suite software.
3. 10 minWhere the group splitCompare answers before the debrief. Where the room split is the useful part — the split usually marks a real judgment call rather than a knowledge gap.
   • Where did two people read the same situation differently, and what did each notice?
   • Which answer would survive a supervisor asking "why did you do it that way?"
4. 10 minThe pattern behind the answersClose the loop: what changed between the first attempt and the last, and what would have to be true for creativity to hold up on a bad day.